Skylanders Giants - Big fun

A clever fusion of toys and video games, Skylanders has been an enormous success for publisher Activision. Last Christmas it also proved to be a nightmare for parents trying to track down scarce figurines for desperate children, with prices for rare toys selling on eBay for hundreds of dollars each.

In Australia, Activision sold over 110,000 Skylanders starter packs in less than six months, along with over 300,000 toys. Worldwide an astonishing 30 million figures have been snapped up.

The game lets kids "bring their toys to life" by collecting the action figures and then instantly teleporting them into the game by placing them on the "Portal of Power". The game remembers the character's statistics as they become more powerful with in-game experience.

Players can enjoy the game with just the starter characters, but there's a strong incentive to collect more toys as they each have unique abilities and personalities. Some areas can also only be accessed by specific characters.

It's easy to be cynical about such a cunning strategy to separate kids from their pocket money, especially when the game is constantly teasing players by showing them characters they probably don't own yet. But both the original Skylanders and this new sequel are cleverly designed, well-written and very engaging games for youngsters.

Giants offers a new and more entertaining adventure along with 40-plus new figures, including the super-sized giants and characters that light up when placed on the Portal. All figures from the original game are compatible.

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Players spend their time exploring colourful environments battling enemies using melee strikes or projectile weapons while solving simple puzzles and collecting items. Kids can play co-operatively with a friend or parent.

The powerful new Giants are able to perform feats of strength like hurling boulders and destroying walls, but players are encouraged to regularly swap characters to make the most of their unique skills.

Battle arenas offer the chance to combat waves of enemies and earn experience points and new abilities for your characters to assist in the adventure. You can also battle friends and play an enjoyable collectible card game.

It's a fun package with plenty of replay appeal, but parents should be wary of the cost of kids succumbing to the game's charms and demanding dozens of toys.